HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A man was found guilty of killing a woman in Jackson and dumping her body in Louisiana.

Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens said Ryan Christopher Hopkins was convicted on the charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder and 20 years for conspiracy to commit murder.

Nine days before the murder in 2019, Owens said Celeste McDonald had accused Hopkins of rape. On March 31, 2019, Hopkins and his girlfriend, Yolanda Torns, drove to Forest to pick up McDonald.

After bringing McDonald to a home on Belvedere Drive in Jackson, investigators said Torns left to purchase bleach, plastic wrap and detergent from Walmart. Upon her return, Owens said Hopkins slashed McDonald’s throat, and Torns took another knife and stabbed the victim.

According to investigators, the couple wrapped McDonald’s body in plastic and drove across the Mississippi River to Louisiana, where they dumped her body in a roadside ditch. They covered her with bricks.

Less than 24 hours later, the couple returned to Jackson and got married. They later divorced.

Torns was convicted of second-degree murder in 2024. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison with 15 years suspended and 25 years to serve, followed by five years of post-release supervision.